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Nighteye
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« on: January 23, 2006, 08:50:47 PM » |
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This is...interesting...
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Nighteye
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« Reply #1 on: January 23, 2006, 08:50:47 PM » |
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http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/200...3NW1oMDRpBHNlYwM3NTc-I haven't read that book, but news like this makes me kind of curious... that said, I don't expect there to be much in there that's new to me - I'm familiar with criticism of the US... Has any of you read it?
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Babar
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« Reply #2 on: January 24, 2006, 09:44:41 AM » |
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Unfortunately I previously came to many of the same conclusions (but not all of the same conclusions) as the author of that book, from what I'm hearing.
This is in no way a slam on the US but there are more examples of US "intervention" leading to poorer conditions in the subject countries, rather than better conditions (Japan being an example of that).
Its a pitfall of nation-building mentality and imperialist mentality. The UK fell into the same traps while they were at their height, although the nature of their interventions were different (I'll explain later if you're interested, but suffice it to say that they were trying to build an empire).
Mind you Im not an isolationalist, but there are good ways and bad ways to go about intervening in the affairs of foreign countries, and more often than not, forcibly changing their regime turns out to be the bad way.
In the example of Japan, Emperor Hirohito was never forced out of his throne by Truman or MacArthur, and remained the Emperor of Japan until his death in 1989.
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Nighteye
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« Reply #3 on: January 24, 2006, 04:38:45 PM » |
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Why unfortunately?
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Rocky
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« Reply #4 on: January 24, 2006, 05:11:08 PM » |
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Cause its unfortunate to come to the conclusion that our own country has made so many grave mistakes. Coming to that conclusion is unfortunate.
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lightprocess
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« Reply #5 on: January 24, 2006, 05:17:41 PM » |
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Sounds like some tough love for those nationalists who believe "America can do no wrong".
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Rocky
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« Reply #6 on: January 24, 2006, 05:22:33 PM » |
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"America can do no wrong"
Anyone who thinks that can look at Reagans international relations and the results of them 20 years later...
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Nighteye
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« Reply #7 on: January 24, 2006, 07:06:17 PM » |
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I would rather think it fortunate - Knowing what you did/are doing wrong is the first step to improving yourself. Know what your country did/is doing wrong and you know what needs to be changed and made better. Some knowledge may be unpleasant, but I'd never consider it unfortunate...
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Rocky
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« Reply #8 on: January 24, 2006, 07:23:25 PM » |
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Your post is ideologically correct, but slavery was unfortunate, the holocaust was unfortunate. It doesnt really apply to HUGE mistakes, only little ones.
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Babar
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« Reply #9 on: January 24, 2006, 09:10:38 PM » |
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Yes Rocky, unfortunate to come to this conclusion, and unfortunate that perhaps the most hated man in the world agrees with that conclusion.
Not that I think he's being forthright with his "truce offer." (Did you guys hear about that?) There's a great political cartoon I saw today. Osama bin Laden with his hand outstrectched, as if for a handshake. "Truce?" he says. Attached to his hand is a joke-type buzzer, wired to a pack of TNT strapped to his chest. That says it all, I think.
Unfortunate also because it appears we never learn our lesson. Help Saddam against Iran, look what happens to Saddam; help Osama against the Soviets in Afghanistan, look what happens to Osama, and so on, and so forth, et cetera, ad infinitum.
Im by no means an isolationalist. I suppose you could call me a "positive-sum" nationalist, not a "zero sum" or "negative sum" nationalist.
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